I’m at Angel Stadium for the first time this year, and I have a couple of concepts I want to broach.
One is … what happened to Vladimir Guerrero?
When did the Scariest Hitter in the American League turn into Little Bo Peep?
Vlad went into this game hitting .246 with seven homers and 28 RBI. Which makes him barely ordinary as a cleanup hitter. And certainly nothing like the man who was the only feared swinger in the Angels lineup for four consecutive seasons, beginning in 2004.
Vlad averaged 100 runs, 38 doubles, 119 RBI and 33 homers in his four previous seasons with the Angels. And never hit less than .317, with an on-base percentage ranging from .382 to .403.
Now? He’s just another easy out in a sickly Angels lineup. He hit .219 in May with an on-base percentage of .260. The Vlad we’ve seen since May 1 is just north of awful.
Why? Seems as if we have perhaps three possible answers.
1. It’s a slump. A fairly big slump, but just a slump. He went without a homer last July yet finished with 27.
2. He’s hurt and not telling anyone. Vlad has had nagging injury issues with his legs, off and on, for years, and the theory is that he put extra miles on them while playing in Montreal, on the horrible artificial turf of Olympic Stadium. Manager Mike Scioscia is making a point of giving him days off from the outfield.
3. He has entered his decline phase, with a vengeance.
There have been signs of him fading. His runs-scored numbers have declined three consecutive seasons; this will be the fourth straight. He has stopped even attempting to steal bases. (Five attempts last season, two this season, after 18, 14 and 20 the three previous seasons.) Is it injuries? Is it age? He is “only” 32, but that’s a Dominican 32. He easily could be 34.
Thing about Vlad … his hitting mechanics and fundamentals always have been so awful, you wonder if he can reclaim whatever it was that enabled him to hit .300 despite himself. Sheer strength and bat speed, I guess.
For a guy like Vlad, who has a violent but absolutely unorthodox swing, and absolutely zero idea of a strike zone or even a notion of intelligent hitting … maybe sore/weak legs are enough to turn him into an ordinary player.
3 responses so far ↓
1 Eugene Fields // Jun 1, 2008 at 5:37 PM
I would venture that for a guy to hit .300 with 25 HR and 100 RBI for seven years takes more than “sheer strength and bat speed.”
As far as mechanics and fundamentals, Hank Aaron hit with his hands in the “wrong” position on the bat and I think that worked out for him. When Vlad is hitting well, his mechanics are very good – he squares up to the ball, he keeps his head in and has a great follow-through.
After his really hard first swing, Vlad is usually very picky about what he chooses to swing at.
As far as this season goes, I would venture that he is battling both age and injuries.
2 depo // Jun 2, 2008 at 11:57 PM
Vlad’s bat speed has slowed and he has zero patience at the plate. Not a good combo.
Wouldn’t an elite franchise have seen this coming and not wasted four prime years of the “Scariest Hitter in the American League” with the likes of Garrett Anderson (.327 career obp) and O-Cab serving as his protection?
3 Damian // Jun 4, 2008 at 3:08 PM
I hope it is just a slump, but he had long power slumps in 2007, which was unusual for him.
I fear he is so banged up in many spots that he just doesn’t feel healthy when he takes the field. And when you don’t feel healthy from a physical standpoint, you are not mentally healthy and focused when you are out there. Just think about all the times he gets hit by pitches on the wrists, forearms, hands and back. You think continual beatings to those areas don’t affect a swing? The Red Sox and Rangers have made a hobby out of hitting Vlad in recent years.
Vlad is just the type that would never tell anyone he is injured and would never ask for a day off.
Still, with his capabilities, ferocious swing and ability to change the complexion of a game, you never turn away from a Vlad at-bat. Sometimes when there is another game I want to watch (Lakers, i.e.), I’ll watch Vlad bat in the first, then watch said game for 45 mins and check back to see if Vlad is up again.
Vlad may not be hitting, but he is still one of the game’s most exciting players. And he can still throw from deep right to home on a frozen rope traveling 10 feet above the ground.
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